Illegals in our mountains

There was a discussion over the weekend in one of my on-line groups I belong to about the increase in illegal activity in the mountains of southern Arizona. I will be the first one to say that I've seen an increase in Mexican trash in the last few years along my beloved trails.

And it's getting worse in the city and in broad daylight. The Bisbee police beat reported 52 suspect illegals in last week's report.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/13/news/doc49e2ee181b680756453601.txt

But more disturbing to me were several personal accounts posted on one of the websites:

"I just spoke with a neighbor, Darryl, who hikes in Madera Canyon several times per week. Last Saturday, April 4, he was doing an early morning solo hike to Mt. Wrightson starting out just before sunrise. When Darryl was about 10 minutes above Josephine Saddle on the Old Baldy Trail, he noticed some movement up above which caught his eye. He thought this was strange as the Roundup parking lot was empty upon his arrival and he didn't expect to see anyone.

A few minutes later about 40-50 yards up the trail, he observed an individual with no pack cross the Old Baldy Trail and head down the hillside (bushwhacking) in the direction of the lower Super Trail. The first individual was followed by six more "hikers" that were carrying large burlap "backpacks" which Darryl estimated to be about 4' x 4' in size! Then an eighth individual crossed the trail without a backpack.

Darryl pulled out his cell phone and called 911. When the 911 operator asked if it was an emergency, he said "no" but asked if they were interested in hearing about drug runners. They were interested. Darryl relayed his observations and told them he thought that the drug smugglers were heading down toward the lower Super Trail. He then continued his hike to the summit.

About 3/4 of the way back down from the summit, Darryl's cell phone rang. It was the Santa Cruz County Sheriff calling from the Super Trail. They had not yet run into the drug runners and wanted to know if Darryl had seen anything more. As Darryl was talking with the sheriff, the sheriff got a radio call that deputies had apprehended four suspects about two miles down the road in Madera Canyon.

As Darryl was driving out of the canyon he came to a Border Patrol road block and identified himself as the person making the report. The Border Patrol asked him if he could identify any of the four suspects sitting in ditch which he could not as he had seen them from some distance. The suspects had told the officers that they were part of a party of ten. Unfortunately, they were not carrying the "backpacks" when they were taken into custody. However, the border patrol stated that the suspects had deep indentations in their skin from the weight of the packs. The border patrol estimates that these burlap "backpacks" weigh approximately 80 pounds each!

On Tuesday morning Darryl was back up Madera Canyon again early. An old beat up white pick- up truck had been following him up the road and fell behind. As he was gearing up, Darryl heard the truck approaching the Roundup and was surprised when it continued up the service road hidden behind the picnic area. As Darryl was hiking up to the Old Baldy Trail along the picnic area, he observed two individuals coming up from the direction of the service road who looked very much out of place. Although they had small backpacks, they were way over-dressed for hiking and even wore stocking caps on what was a warm morning. The two suspicious individuals headed up the Carrie Nation Mine Trail.

In light of Melissa and Darryl's recent encounters, it's probably not a good idea to hike solo in Madera Canyon. If you see any suspicious activity, please report it when you are at a safe distance from the encounter. The telephone number for the Border Patrol dispatch supervisor is 520-514-4662 or 4663. It appears that 911 is an option when drug smuggling is involved."

Another hiker responded with this:
"In the last year alone, we've encounted drug "mules" while mountain biking on Guajolote Flat, helped rescue a migrant who had been abandoned by his coyote after breaking a leg in Sycamore Canyon, found an obvious stash near Mustang Peak, and seen piles of migrant trash along the Chiricahua Crest. We don't hike or bike near the border anymore unless we're part of a (well-armed) group, and we no longer backpack in the Santa Ritas or Huachucas. I feel like a large chunk of Arizona is under foreign occupation, and the rest of the country has no idea how much we've lost."

To which another person posted a BLM warning that was taken from the BLM website:
BLM Cautions Public of Illegal Activities Occurring in Southern Arizona

"Phoenix, Ariz. – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands in southern Arizona continue to experience illegal activities, including drug and human smuggling. Visitors to public lands are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings while in southern Arizona. In the past, encounters with drug smugglers have typically been non-violent in nature; however, recent BLM law enforcement reports indicate smugglers may be armed and have displayed aggressive behavior toward people working or recreating on public lands in southern Arizona.

Visitors to BLM public lands in southern Arizona, including the Sonoran Desert and Ironwood Forest national monuments, need to be aware of these activities. Remember the following safety tips:

Cell phone service is out of range in many remote areas.

Know where you are at all times, follow good safety procedures and use common sense when making decisions.

Do not pick-up hitch hikers.

Keep valuables, including spare change, out of sight and lock your vehicle.

Avoid traveling outside of well-marked roads and routes.

People in distress may ask for food, water or other assistance. Do not make contact. Report the location of the distressed people to the nearest BLM or other law enforcement authority.
Report ANY suspicious behavior to the nearest BLM office or contact Law Enforcement Dispatch.

The BLM is alerting the public to be aware of their surroundings when visiting public lands in southern Arizona, and to follow the safety tips above. Your safety is important. If you see anything that looks illegal, suspicious or out of place, do not intervene. Note your location and call 911, or report it to the BLM Law Enforcement Dispatch at (623) 580-5515, as quickly as possible.

The BLM manages more land – 256 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands."
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/april/april_7__2009_-_blm.html

I don't tend to be an alarmist, but the situation here has gotten bad. I now see USBP vans in our immediate neighborhood, lurking in tall grasses right of the major road here. More USBP vans have pulled people over off Highway 92. This all is scary, considering what our neighbors in the USBP have told us these last few months.